In conclusion, I mock because I love.

Kara no Kyoukai: Satsujin Kousatsu

A potential interpretation

By Nathan Turowsky

Shiki: I represent the horror genre. While I have an incredibly fucked-up, dark, twisted, hurting heart, I make the conscious choice to contain it and seek a better life.

Mikiya: I represent fans of the horror genre. While the things that I love about Shiki are her best traits, my willingness to tolerate the darkness within her and help her bear her sins makes society regard me as an enabler or even somewhat ‘creepy’.

Touko: I represent Charles Williams, creator of the urban fantasy subgenre and author of Descent into Hell and The Place of the Lion. My interest in Shiki has somewhat ulterior motives but I genuinely do care about her, and although I jerk around with Mikiya sometimes I care about him too.

Shirazumi: I represent Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse. My goal in life is to reach Shiki’s sick, twisted, dying heart and make it conform to my own nihilistic and unpleasant ideas about what it is.

Azaka: I represent Nasu Kinoko, the author of Kara no Kyoukai. While I think that it is possible to redeem Shiki and even Shirazumi, and in fact get along reasonably well with both of them, my protective attitude towards Mikiya makes me extremely suspicious of them most of the time.

Shiki: I should also mention that I am voiced by Maaya Sakamoto. You will worship me. Build a shrine to me now, geek boy.

Mikiya: Yes, my mistress.

Shirazumi: I keep killing people who did nothing to me. But it’s meet and right that I should do so. It’s in my nature to kill…to feed on Mikiya’s suffering…and in Shiki’s nature also…

Shiki: Yes, yes, rationalize it all you want. Slaughterer.

Mikiya: Shirazumi, I love you and I believe that I can save you! Come on! Believe in me! Reach out your hands and say that you need me!

Shirazumi: Mikiya…Shiki…I will make both of you mine.

Touko: Shirazumi wouldn’t have been irredeemable if he hadn’t met Araya. But he did, so there’s nothing we can do.

Araya: I represent Jean-Paul Sartre, author of Nausea, an influence on Joss Whedon that wasn’t quite as evident in the earlier and better parts of Buffy and Firefly, and exemplar of a philosophy that Nasu Kinoko evidently despises. In life I had an obsession with both horror literature and the horror of everyday existence, and a rivalry with the British writerly school led by Charles Williams that he cared about more than I did.

Shirazumi: Araya! Give me power! Awaken me to my Origin and true essence!

Araya: But Shirazumi, if your Origin is awakened you will become its slave!

Shirazumi: Do it!

Araya: Congratulations, Shirazumi. Your Origin is ‘consumption’.

Shirazumi: Of what?

Araya: The emotional investment of horror fans, mostly.

Shirazumi: FUCK YEAH.

Azaka: Touko, aren’t you going to do something about this?…Touko?

Touko: No, I don’t honestly give a shit and you shouldn’t either. I think Shiki and Mikiya can handle this. Now let us stand here overlooking inner-city Niigata and discussing the urban-rural divide as it relates to the Epic of Gilgamesh!

Azaka: Right on, sister.

Drug Dealer Chick: I represent society at large. I find Shiki and Mikiya really, really freaking creepy, partly but not entirely because of things that Shirazumi is actually the only one really doing.

Mikiya: Tell me how I can find Shirazumi, Drug Dealer Chick!

DDC: Follow the cult of drugged-up maenads.

Mikiya: That’s not a very nice way to describe a writer’s fans, is it?

DDC: No. But this is a horror story that’s an allegory about horror stories so some nasty shit is bound to go down.

Mikiya: Point taken. Hey, Shiki, come with me.

Shiki: ‘Kay.

Shirazumi: I can’t help it! All of my problems are caused by other people!

Mikiya: No, they’re caused by society.

Shiki: No, they’re caused by you.

Shirazumi: You’re right. I suck. But YOU WILL BE MINE!!

Shiki: Okay, you’re not Joss Whedon any more. Now you’re just some crazy person. The allegory died as soon as you cut up that guy and arranged his body parts in the form of a swastika.

Shirazumi: All right, all right. Shiki, my attacks on you and your boyfriend are for your own good. No, really.

Shiki: I don’t believe you.

Mikiya: Neither do I.

Shirazumi: That’s because you suck, Mikiya. …I want you.

Shirazumi kills Mikiya.

Shiki kills Shirazumi.

Mikiya isn’t actually dead.

Azaka: All right, Touko, it’s over. Time for us all to drop some references to other works by Nasu!

Touko: References, eh? All right. True Ancestors, Holy Grail War, operation of parallel worlds, death of Gaia, Land of Canaan, jewel sorcery, homunculus, Clock Tower, Miss Blue. Okay, that’s enough for now.

Touko and Azaka go off and do…something…together.

HAPPY END.